Cape-Style Curry
Making a curry dish and then publishing it, is actually a very bold move. There are so many different ways to make curry. When you think of curry, you usually think of hot and spicy. But because I don’t like spicy food (Berto again loves it), he usually makes it mild and fragrant … that’s what we call a typical Cape curry.
Put it on the table:
If you prefer more heat, follow this recipe, but use a hot curry powder or add a teaspoon (or two) of ground chilli powder to the list of spices.

Ingredients for our Cape-Style Curry
400g beef minced meat (ground meat)
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
3 potatoes, diced
1 can (410g) chopped & peeled tomatoes
15ml (1 tablespoon) tomato paste
1 cup frozen peas
4 cloves garlic, grated
15ml fresh ginger, grated
oil, to fry
Spices:
1 cinnamon stick
3 whole cloves
15ml medium curry powder
5ml ground turmeric
10ml fennel seeds
5ml ground cumin
salt & pepper, to taste


Spices, chopped veggies & grated garlic and ginger
Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and fry until soft. Add the minced meat to the onion and fry until light brown.


Fry onion and minced meat
Add all the spices and fry for 1 minute. Add the grated ginger and garlic and fry for another minute.


Add the spices, ginger and garlic
Add the tomato paste and stir. Stir in the carrots and then the chopped tomatoes. Now add water and stir to loosen any sticky bits on the bottom of the pan.


Add tomato paste and carrots

Add chopped tomatoes and water
Add the diced potatoes, stir well and bring to a simmer. Cover with a lid and reduce the heat to very low. Let it simmer for 30 minutes until the potatoes are cooked.

Add diced potatoes
After 30 minutes, add the frozen peas and cook until the peas are soft (but not mushy) – about 10 minutes.

Add frozen peas
Tip: Keep an eye on the heat throughout – the curry will burn if the plate is too hot.
Serve the dish hot with rice. We didn’t have fresh coriander, but it’s always nice to sprinkle a few leaves on top of the curry.

Cape-Style Curry

Cape-Style Curry with rice
Do you remember the tasty jaffles we made during our camp weekend at Balloch Cottages (read here)? Well, this curry dish is a great filling for jaffles!
This looks great. And the nice thing is that there is not a “correct” curry, curry is just a dish with a sauce seasoned with spices, so yours is perfect.
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Thanks for that Terry! I think cooking is actually a very personal thing – we prepare it the way we like it (not necessarily to other people’s tastes … oh well, except of course if you’re a professional chef).
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I make curry a lot, looks yummy (except the beef part 😊) Maggie
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My mum makes the most delicious veggie curry, so I know that curry without meat can be just as delicious!
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You really inspire me with your step-by-step cooking instructions making it all look so easy. I’m more inclined to enjoy lightly spiced curries too. Hope you have a good weekend. Marion
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Sometimes I think it’s hard to make a certain dish, only to find out it’s actually quite easy. I think you and I may be in the minority when it comes to mild curry dishes, but luckily there’s the option to not make it so spicy (because I do like curry dishes – just not that hot). A happy weekend to you too Marion.
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Corna, ek is so bly jy het hierdie resep opgesit, regtig baie bly. Ek is ñ kerrie-fanatikus en probeer elke nuwe resep uit.
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Jy sal nooit ons spesery kas sonder kerrie vind nie … Berto eksperimenteer gereeld met kerrie en omdat ek nie van sterk kerrie hou nie, probeer hy altyd die kerrie “opkikker” saam met ander speserye. Hierdie is beslis ons “go-to” kerrie resep!
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Ek gaan dit vanaand met hoender maak.😉
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Jaa!!! Dis heerlik wanneer jy hoender gebruik. Geniet dit Una.
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I love curry but I prefer it less spicy, like you. Grant could eat curry every day, I think and he is always adjusting his recipe so I will pass this on to him. Jaffles and curry sound perfect!
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Grant will probably need to add that extra spoonful (or two) of chilli powder to our recipe to make his curry hot and spicy. The spices we use here work just as well with chicken or even vegetables. So it will work perfectly for your vegetable curry. But you’re right … it’s best on a jaffle (made on a campfire, of course).
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Like you, I love curry, but not spicy curry, so I’m going to try this soon. Thanks Corna!
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This combination of spices works perfectly for when you also want to make a vegetable curry – try it Tricia, I’m sure you’ll love it.
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Looks good. I am the same i don’t like spicy hot food.
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I’m surprised that there are so many people who like mild and fragrant curries – now I don’t feel so bad anymore that I prefer the “softer” curry version.
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A gorgeous looking curry; sign me up for the Mild Curry Lovers Club! That plate full of spices is a beautiful sight. Curries are my favourite dishes, so we cook them a lot, though mostly vegetarian versions these days. We have an Indian restaurant near where we live now but haven’t been yet. Your post reminded me that we should check it out.
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Leighton, it seems to me we are quite a few people in the mild curry division! I know you guys love your curry dishes – I remember the pictures of all those delicious looking plates of curry food you’ve eaten on your travels. And of course, there’s nothing wrong with a vegetable curry – we sometimes eat that as well with this particular spice mix – it’s finger-licking good!
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I’m not a fan of spicy food either so this sounds like a curry that I’d enjoy. I can almost smell the spices from your pictures. My mouth is watering. I’ll have to give this a whirl.
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Welcome to the “not-so-spicy” corner Linda – there seem to be quite a few of us here. And you’re right about the smell of the spices – just make sure you’re not too hungry when you make this curry, because the smell is amazing.
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What a nice hearty dish, perfect for winter there! I need to use curry more often!
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Yes, it’s indeed a great winter dish. We may now move more to the salad section – summer is slowly but surely showing itself here at the southern tip of Africa …. yeah!!
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